Climate Change

In 1999, Davis joined a small group of cities calling for local action and a national policy on climate change. In 2006, the City joined the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement that called for local and national action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). In a clear action in spring 2007, the Davis City Council unanimously adopted a strategy to reduce the City’s greenhouse gas emissions. Copies of the City Council resolutions related to these actions are found on the City Actions web page.

Based on this Council strategy, the City has joined the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) program along with hundreds of other communities across the globe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the local level. The program is designed to educate and empower local governments to take action on climate change. The CCP is a performance-oriented campaign that offers a framework for local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve livability within their municipalities. The framework includes the following 5 steps:

Conduct a baseline emissions inventory and forecast.

Adopt an emissions reduction target for the forecast year.

Develop a Local Action Plan.

Implement policies and measures.

Monitor and verify results.

The City has completed its baseline inventory and forecast of greenhouse gasses (step 1). Completion of this important step in early 2008 will allow the City to then set emissions reduction targets and adopt actions to meet those targets. The City’s Natural Resources Commission is serving as the primary advisory body to the City Council on this effort. In addition, to assist in the identification an assessment of potential GHG reduction actions, the city council has formed a Climate Action Team and a Science Advisory Team.

The City is also in the process of joining the California Climate Action Registry. The Registry is a non-profit public/private partnership that serves as a voluntary greenhouse gas registry to protect, encourage, and promote early actions to reduce GHG emissions. The Registry provides a verifiable emissions protocol that will ensure that participants receive appropriate consideration for early actions in the event of any future state, federal or international GHG regulatory scheme. This is especially important for communities like Davis that have made significant past investments in GHG reducing programs and infrastructure (e.g. bicycle transportation network).